McCluster excited about the happenings in KC
By TOD PALMER
The Kansas City Star
Chiefs wide receiver Dexter McCluster was among the revelers as Mississippi upset Wisconsin during NCAA Tournament regional action Friday at the Sprint Center.

McCluster, a former Rebels running back and 2010 second-round pick, even commissioned special gear for the occasion after learning that his alma mater was coming to Kansas City.

“I went and had four shirts made up that say ‘Ole Miss Rebels’ in red and blue,” McCluster said. “I was so excited to see everybody — some friends and some people I really looked up to at Ole Miss. I’m having a good time here today. It’s great. It feels like I’m back home. Hotty Toddy — I’ll bleed red and blue until the day I die.”

McCluster originally is from Tampa, Fla., but he spent four years in Oxford, Miss., and now lives in Kansas City year-round.

He’s almost as eager for the Chiefs — who brought in a new general manager, John Dorsey, and coach, Andy Reid, during the offseason — to get going again, too.

“I’m happy about the fresh start,” McCluster said. “The guys that were here before, I love them with all my heart because they gave me the chance to go out there and showcase my talents. But I’m excited for the new year and the changes to come.”

McCluster is energized by the fresh start and the sense that the Chiefs’ fan base feels the same way.

“The whole town can feel that we’re about to do some big things, but we still have to put in the work,” McCluster said. “But if we all stick together, we can make something special happen. I was very excited about the Alex Smith trade. He’s a guy who’s established. He’s been in the league — been there, done that — so hopefully he can come here and do the same thing.”

And, yes, McCluster is well aware that Reid has big plans for him in the Chiefs’ new offense.

“I’m a humble guy, but he’s expecting a lot of things of me,” McCluster said. “I know I have to go in there and put the work in and, hopefully, make it come true. I sat down with (Reid) briefly, and he just told me that when he first saw me he thought I was a guy who can be a playmaker. He really believed in me on and off the field. I want to show him that he was correct about that.”